San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1887-03-03
WASHINGTON LETTER.
CFrcm Our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Feb, Il, 1887,

AS 10 what Congress Is DONG Just
now, / may say the Senate is oyordo'
ing the Naval Appropriation business,
and tho House is trying to get on
with the regular appropriation bills.
The past week was marked by some
important legislation, prominent
among which was the passage OF the
Eads' Tehuantepec Ship Railway bill
by the Senate, and tho rigorous Anti
Polygamy bill by both the Senate
aud House. You may remember
that this measure passed the Senate
some time since but it was amended
by the House, and now the Senate
has passed it as it came from the
House.
Only seven votes were recorded
against tho scheme of Capt. Eads for
constructing ship railway across
the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. These
were cast by Senators Edmunds,
Jones of Arkansas, Morrill,, Platt,
Vance, Van Wyck, and Wilson OF
Iowa. The bill Incorporates Capt.
Eads and some eighty other persons
named, as a body polite under the
name of the Atlantic and Pacific Ship
Railway Company. The stock is not
to exceed S100,000,000; and when
ten per cent. of the stock is sub
scribed and ten per cent. paid IN
cash, meeting of stockholders is to
be held in Washington or New York,
for the election of directors If ten
millions of stock IS not subscribed
for, and ten per cent. of it paid in
cash within two years, the charter is
to expire by limitation. Consequent
" the Government is not committed
to the project pecuniarily, and makes
no guarantees. go,
The Senate has passed bills APP
proprlatlng about fifty millions for
ships of war, coast defenses and other
warlike preparations. Ii the Senate
had reall y wanted to do something
for the navy, it would have passed
these bills early enough to permit OF
their consideration by the House of
Representatives. 1t ought not be
expected that the House will not pass
measures of such magnitude, without
m excmination which there is not
now time to give. But, of course,
the Senate will get the credit OF hay
ing made brilliant effort towards an
increase of the naval establishment,
and the House will be condemned
for neglect of its duty in this matter.
Everybody Is wondering whom the
President will appoint on the Inter
state Commission. Among the
scores of men who have been men
toned for place, Gen. Atkins, the
present Commissioner of Indian
Affairs, is one of the latest. His
friends say he is man who could
be, officially, as much of q friend to
the railroads as to tho people. Said
one of them, ':Hc could do justice to
both, and at the same time has moral
force sufficient to outride the temp
tation of winking at the New York
brokers for consideration.
On next Thursday IN effort will be
made in the House of Representatives
to pass tho Pauper Pension bill over
the Presidents veto, and the Re
publicans are expected to press the
matter to such an extent that there
will doubtless be n pretty lively
fight. Tho Impression is, however,
that it will be impossible to override
the veto.
Tie first Mexican pension under
the recent act granting pensions to
the survivors of that war, was issued
on last Friday 1t went to the hero
of Cerro Gordo, ex-senator Williams,
of kentucky. If all the Mexican
veterans were able to verify their
claims to an allowance and secure it
as readily as he, short work would
be made of the Mexican pension bust
ness, at least. His application was
filed in the Commissioners office at
eleven o'clock one day last week, and
the pension certificate was mailed in
the afternoon of the same day.
The Cabinet succession continues
TO be a theme of discussion. A week
ago it was believed that Mr.. FAIR
child, the Assistant Secretary, was
the man for the place, but suddenly
public opinion changed entirely.
Some say that the President will APP
point Il wide-awakc practical politician
to succeed Mr.. Manning. When the
latter rendered his resignation the
President brought up the subject of
his successor, and Mr.. Manning
urged upon him the necessity OF
awaiting himself of the opportunity
to appoint strong Democrat of ma
tionai reputation, and suggested two
OF three names.
A Democratic Congressman OF
prominence expresses the hope that
the new Secretary of the Treasury
will be taken from among those who
are not dominated by Wall street
IDEAS. But as he himself acknowl-
edged, it is very difficult TO find Il
man of financial experience who is
not under Wall street influence in
some way. Since New York is the
centre of the money power OF the
nation. every business man OF prom
inence has his mann centre there.
The South West urged the import